Nightly Cheering Ends With Special Performance
When two neighbors at 730 Lofts, Kathleen Frey and Jody Schepers, decided to start a nightly cheer for healthcare workers during the pandemic, they were hoping it would catch on with others in the building, along with the next door neighbors at 720 and 710 Lofts–which it quickly did.
But then TV news cameras started showing up, Governor Tim Walz mentioned the North Loop cheering in one of his news conferences, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey joined in one night, and it suddenly seemed as if every residential building in the neighborhood had people on their balconies cheering each night at 7:00.
Now, after three months, Jody and Kathleen decided to wind down the cheering with a special event for their neighbors. Another resident in their building, Wendy Holmes, has connections with the renowned vocal ensemble, Cantus (she’s the former Board Chair), and was able to arrange for two of the artists, David Geist and Jacob Christopher, to perform a few songs in the courtyard on Friday, June 25th.
“We wanted it to be special,” said Kathleen, “and have the ending be that much more meaningful.”
“It’s been the coolest feeling of community,” Jody said.
You can watch part of the performance in the video above.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop Neighborhood Association